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REPLAY: Jamie Ivey

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My interview this week is with Jamie Ivey. Jamie hosts a podcast called The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, she lives in Austin, TX, is a wife to Aaron, and together they have four kids under the age of 13.

On the podcast this week I want to focus on an incredible book Jamie just finished writing entitled If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free.  Her book is scheduled to be released January 2018.  

In this book, she is honest, vulnerable, and raw with personal stories about her walk from failure to freedom.  Jamie travels and speaks to so many women and has learned that our stories, when seen through the eyes of the gospel, are not the obstacles to our freedom, they are the key to unlocking our freedom!

We talk about the enormous fear she faced being afraid people would know the real “Jamie:” could she step into a marriage, be a pastor’s wife, lead youth, but inside be completely unsure if God even loved her?  

As her story unfolds, she shares how God kept pursuing her and only through the grace of God, she began to change and learn to truly have an intimate relationship with Him.

Jamie challenges women to ask themselves; are you fearful others will only see you for things you’ve done, not what Jesus has done in you?

Here’s my interview with Jamie Ivey.

Resources

Book: If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free

Social Media Links

173: Jarrett Stephens

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Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Jarrett Stephens!

A message of hope for an anxious day: God never changes. He is still here and ready to transform our lives. What we must ask is if we are ready to respond to him.

In these turbulent times, many wonder where God is…and why he doesn’t seem to be intervening. Sure, he performed miracles in the Bible, but what about now? What about us? In The Always God: He Hasn’t Changed and You Are Not Forgotten (Jun 1, 2021, Multnomah), Pastor Jarrett Stephens reveals how God is always present, always working, and always faithful.

In The Always God, Jarrett, pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, gives hope to those who think God has given up on us. It invites us to quiet ourselves and listen to the God who does not change or forget us. Not ever. And that changes everything.

Jarrett asks readers: Do you wonder if God has forgotten you?

He responds,
“I wrote this book for you because I’ve been where you are. As a pastor, I walk with people who are where you are: in the midst of a trial, needing to be reminded that our God is always God and needing to be invited to journey with him to a place of greater assurance and intimacy. Regardless of how things may seem, he is always the same and can always be trusted.”

Jarrett shares moments of his wild and sometimes painful journey, including:

  • As a boy, when he was a victim of sex abuse from a little league coach for four years
  • When he and his wife lost a child to miscarriage
  • The years he prayed for a prodigal brother
  • The suffering of a dear friend with cancer

Bringing sound biblical teaching along with comforting guidance, he can help your audience answer such questions as: Is God listening and does he see me? Can I have an unwavering confidence that God is always here and always working? Can I get to a place where, no mat­ter what happens, doubt won’t overtake me?  

Jarrett’s prayer is that every reader will discover in a very personal and powerful way just how faithful the always God really is.

Jarrett Stephens is the senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church, in Houston, Texas, one of the largest and most diverse churches in America, and he is the author of The Mountains Are Calling.Previously, he served as a teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church alongside Dr. Jack Graham. He has a bachelor of arts in biblical studies and psychology from Ouachita Baptist University, a master of divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a doctorate of ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary. Jarrett has been featured on The 700 Club, I Am Second and dozens of radio and podcast shows.

“In these pages, you’ll find empathy, wisdom, encouragement, and a thoroughly biblical perspective for times when God seems distant or disinterested. Jarrett Stephens doesn’t flinch as he courageously confronts some of the most nettlesome issues that vex so many followers of Jesus. Whatever you do, don’t miss this journey toward wholeness. Let Jarrett lead you to a place of genuine hope and faith!”

—Lee Strobel, bestselling author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Miracles

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172: Todd & Brooke Tilghman

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Welcome back everyone! Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast is our guest, Todd & Brooke Tilghman!

So often we hear “Just keep your eye on the prize!” and “focus on the ‘big picture!’” Todd and Brooke Tilghman offer this counter-cultural advice: look for the small things, not the big things––relish each and every small step/moment.

When Todd Tilghman, pastor of two decades and father of eight from Meridian, Mississippi, auditioned for NBC’s The Voice, he counted it as a win simply to sing in front of an audience other than family and church members. Despite no music or vocal training, he not only made it through the blind audition––with all four celebrity judges vying to coach him––he also won the show’s entire eighteenth season.

In their forthcoming book, Every Little Win: How Celebrating Small Victories can Lead to Big Joy (Thoman Nelson, June 22, 2021), Todd and his wife, Brooke, share how decades of unrelenting challenges have taught them a joyful mindset of embracing not only winning NBC’s The Voice, but also “every little win” along the way. This is the first book ever written by a winner of The Voice.

Fans were drawn to Todd’s tremendous joy on stage, giving them much-needed inspiration during the hard challenges of a global pandemic. In Every Little Win, Todd and Brooke discuss how their focus on joy and celebrating every little win has helped them to overcome numerous challenges over their twenty-plus-year marriage. Todd and Brooke share the lessons they’ve learned and the strategies that have moved them from fear to faith to ever-present joy.

They share in the book, “We win as we discover that in God’s economy, brokenness leads to beauty, and scarcity to abundance.”

  • Relationships––from being a young dating couple breaking up (for the sake of Christ), to getting married, to being at the brink of divorce, to reconciling, to facing the negative aspects of social media on relationships.
  • Parenting––from adopting two girls on a pastor’s salary (which is practically impossible without an act of God), to parenting a critically ill child (and wondering why God doesn’t answer all our prayers for our children), to having to check one of their sons into a facility to get treatment for depression following bullying at school, to helping that same son later navigate “going viral” for his artwork.
  • Handling adversity and cultural stressors––pastoring a church during times of adversity.
  • Mental Health––from Brooke’s own battle with anxiety/depression, to how Todd learned to support and care for her in her darkest hours, to both Brooke and Todd parenting one of their children through depression.

Together, Todd and Brooke explain how to find special moments in the middle of ordinary days––from their childhoods to winning NBC’s The Voice and “every little win” in between. Through it all, Todd and Brooke count their blessings. This book isn’t sugar coated. It’s real. It’s honest. It’s intimate. And it’s hopeful.

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143: Megan Fate Marshman

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Dynamic Bible teacher Megan Fate Marshman will help you discover how to stop discounting yourself from a hopeful future, start living in active dependence on God, and find your way to the good plan He has for you. 

With authenticity and revelatory insights into the character of God, Megan shares an engaging and fresh look at the core themes within the well-loved scripture of Jeremiah 29:11-14. Through winsome and inspiring stories, Meant for Good will show you how to trust God in your daily life and, more importantly, how to trust God’s definition of good above your own.

You will discover:

  • That your not-enoughness is exactly enough for God, and that in fact, you have everything you need to take that first step into the life God has for you.
  • How to stop counting yourself out, because Jesus never has. God is up to something really good, and He’s inviting you to join Him.
  • How to hear and respond to God’s voice, and intentionally grow a personal, intimate relationship with Him.
  • How to defeat anxiety, trust God with all you’re carrying and worrying about, and experience a life of freedom in relying on God daily.

God has a good plan for you–a plan to give you a hope and a future. Are you ready to believe it?

Megan lives in Lakewood, California, with her husband Randy, and their two boys.

 

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141: Kayla Stocklein

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Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Kayla Stocklein!

Widow of Megachurch Pastor Leaves Breadcrumbs of Hope for Those Lost in the Wilderness of Mental Illness in New Book Kayla Stoecklein Shares the Journey that Led to Her Husband’s Suicide, Encourages Others to Be a Safe Space for Those Struggling in ‘Fear Gone Wild.’

“It’s crucial we approach this message as both a love story full of life and a tragedy full of loss at the same time. When we leave room for both/and in another person’s story, we start to leave space in our own life for both sorrow and celebration to coexist.” – Foreword by NYT Bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2020— On August 25, 2018, Kayla Stoecklein lost her husband Andrew—megachurch pastor of Inland Hills Church in Chino, California—to suicide. In the wake of her overwhelming tragedy, she embarked on a brave journey to better understand Andrew’s harrowing battle with mental illness and, ultimately,
to overcome the stigma of suicide.

She intimately retells all that led to that tragic day, her journey to better understand, and the light she has found in the darkness, all in hopes of better equipping those who find themselves walking a similar path.

“From the very first letter I wrote to him just a few days after he went home to heaven, I knew there would be deep purpose in my pain,” writes Stoecklein. “God was planting a burning message inside of my heart as he intricately used our story as a lifeline of hope for others.” In just 10 short months, what started as occasional panic attacks quickly morphed into frequent, severe attacks, and then into a deep, full-fledged battle with depression. Kayla watched as her strong, lively husband went from a passionate pastor and doting father to an empty, bleak shadow of himself. The battle Andrew faced was a deadly
combination of mental illness and spiritual warfare, and on Aug. 25, 2018, he ended the battle by taking his life.

Because Andrew had planned to be open about his depression, Kayla became an open book about his suicide and has found a renewed purpose in providing hope to others lost in the all-too-familiar wilderness of grief and mental illness. Since Andrew’s death, she has written in real time about her grief on God’s God This, a blog Andrew started as his father was dying, and on her Instagram account.

About the Author:

Kayla Stoecklein is an advocate for those confronting mental illness. When she isn’t busy raising her three young boys, you can find her on the beach, sipping an iced coffee and searching for little glimpses of heaven on earth.

Visit: Kayla Stocklein

 

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REPLAY: Jamie Ivey

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My interview this week is with Jamie Ivey. Jamie hosts a podcast called The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, she lives in Austin, TX, is a wife to Aaron, and together they have four kids under the age of 13.

On the podcast this week I want to focus on an incredible book Jamie just finished writing entitled If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free.  Her book is scheduled to be released January 2018.  

In this book, she is honest, vulnerable, and raw with personal stories about her walk from failure to freedom.  Jamie travels and speaks to so many women and has learned that our stories, when seen through the eyes of the gospel, are not the obstacles to our freedom, they are the key to unlocking our freedom!

We talk about the enormous fear she faced being afraid people would know the real “Jamie:” could she step into a marriage, be a pastor’s wife, lead youth, but inside be completely unsure if God even loved her?  

As her story unfolds, she shares how God kept pursuing her and only through the grace of God, she began to change and learn to truly have an intimate relationship with Him.

Jamie challenges women to ask themselves; are you fearful others will only see you for things you’ve done, not what Jesus has done in you?

Here’s my interview with Jamie Ivey.

 

Resources

Book: If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free

Social Media Links

137: Banning Liebscher

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Today on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Banning Liebscher!

Banning Liebscher is a pastor, speaker, and author. Along with his wife, SeaJay, he founded Jesus Culture, a ministry of worship, conferences, and leadership development. In 2014, they planted Jesus Culture Sacramento, a church in California with a passion to see people fully engaged in becoming who God has called them to be and to do what God has called them to do.

In his new book, The Three-Mile Walk: The Courage You Need to Live the Life God Wants for You, Jesus Culture founder and pastor Banning Liebscher will empower you to rise up from your comfort zone and instead step into a life of passionate purpose and unshakable faith.

With a heart-stirring message and compelling stories, Liebscher provides practical guidance to be and do all that God has called you to. The Three-Mile Walk draws from the biblical story of Jonathan, who, after a treacherous three-mile hike, boldly stepped into battle and watched God work a stunning victory in the midst of impossible odds. Likewise, Liebscher presents the three essential attributes you need to fully engage your mission—holiness, courage, and faith—and the steps you can follow to incorporate them into your life today.

In his power-packed, memorable style, Liebscher offers fresh insights and instruction for answering your calling with a courageous yes, and setting out on the journey you were made for.
“If you are a follower of Jesus, you have sensed that voice inside you saying, This is it. This is what you were made for,” writes Liebscher. “You have heard the call of God on your life. If you haven’t, then my prayer is that while reading this book, you will experience a marking moment that stirs your heart and ignites courage to follow Jesus with all of your heart. If you have had that moment, then my prayer is this: I want you to fully engage the call of God on your life. We are at our best when we are fully engaged in becoming who God has called us to become and doing what God has called us to do.”

Changing the world is going to be tough, surprising, and more fulfilling than you can imagine. In The Three-Mile Walk, you’ll find the courage you need to rise up and walk it out.

Banning Liebscher is on staff at Bethel Church in Redding, California. He and his wife, SeaJay, are the directors of Jesus Culture, a ministry dedicated to mobilizing, equipping, activating, and sending a new breed of revivalists worldwide.

Revival in our Day sermon form 7/5/2020: https://jesusculture.tv/videos/357

 

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112: Gary Thomas

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This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Gary Thomas!

Can’t wait for you to hear this interview! Get you paper and pen handy!

Your life’s calling is too important to let toxic people take it away. In When to Walk Away, Gary Thomas – bestselling author of Sacred Marriage – draws from biblical and modern stories to equip you with practical insights to dealing with difficult people in your life and live true to your God-given purpose.

As Christians, we often feel the guilt and responsibility of meeting the needs of unhealthy people in our lives. Whether a sibling, parent, spouse, coworker, or friend, toxic people always seek to frustrate our life’s calling. While you’re seeking first God’s kingdom, they’re seeking first to distract your focus and delay your work.

Instead of attempting the impossible task of mollifying toxic people, it’s time we dedicate our energy to the only worthwhile effort: completing the work God has given us. It’s only when we learn to say no to bad patterns can we say yes to the good God has planned for us.

Gary Thomas is a writer in residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and an adjunct faculty member teaching on spiritual formation at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon and Houston Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. He is the author of 19 books, including  Sacred Marriage,  Sacred Pathways, Cherish, Sacred Parenting, and the Gold Medallion Award-winning Authentic Faith. He has a master’s degree from Regent College, where he studied under Dr. J.I. Packer, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in divinity from Western Seminary. Gary has spoken in 49 states and 10 different countries. He has appeared numerous times on various national radio and television programs, including CBN, Focus on the Family and Family Life Today.

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FEATURED PRODUCTS

015: Shelley Giglio

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I am so honored to have Shelley Giglio on the podcast today.

Shelley Giglio is the chief strategist, director of label operations and artist management for Sixstepsrecords, an Atlanta-based record label. She and her husband Louie, pastor of Passion City Church, lead the Passion movement committed to spreading the fame of Jesus Christ to college students around the globe. In addition, the Giglio’s planted Passion City Church in 2009 and reside in Atlanta, Georgia along with their beloved Goldendoodle London.

Shelley has traveled the world and has witnessed God at work everywhere, but always comes back to where she is rooted, her everyday life, and serves there. Thriving to Shelley is being rooted in a place, in a person named Jesus, and in His Word. As we stay planted, our branches will grow and expand which will allow us to provide shade, a refuge, for others who come across our path.

Shelley very eloquently paints a picture of how reading God’s word, the Bible, provides “the roadmap” for each of us. She tells us, “God has carved a path for you, and if you align your life with His plan, you will flourish.”  We talk about marriage, trust, dark times, renewing your mind with God’s truth, and that you shouldn’t ever waste time comparing yourself to others, it will steal your joy.

If you are in the Atlanta area I encourage you to attend The GROVE!  The GROVE is a monthly gathering of the women of Atlanta and is hosted by Shelley Giglio and The GROVE Team.  No matter your age, your status, your style, or whether you think you have it all together or not, you are welcome at The GROVE. You are invited to come, rest, worship, learn, and be, as we celebrate the power and greatness of Jesus.  Check out The GROVE!

Here’s my interview with Shelley Giglio.

 

Resources

Passion City Church – Women’s Monthly Gathering The GROVE

Social Media Links

011: Jamie Ivey

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My interview this week is with Jamie Ivey. Jamie hosts a podcast called The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, she lives in Austin, TX, is a wife to Aaron, and together they have four kids under the age of 13.

On the podcast this week I want to focus on an incredible book Jamie just finished writing entitled If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free.  Her book is scheduled to be released January 2018.  

In this book, she is honest, vulnerable, and raw with personal stories about her walk from failure to freedom.  Jamie travels and speaks to so many women and has learned that our stories, when seen through the eyes of the gospel, are not the obstacles to our freedom, they are the key to unlocking our freedom!

We talk about the enormous fear she faced being afraid people would know the real “Jamie:” could she step into a marriage, be a pastor’s wife, lead youth, but inside be completely unsure if God even loved her?  

As her story unfolds, she shares how God kept pursuing her and only through the grace of God, she began to change and learn to truly have an intimate relationship with Him.

Jamie challenges women to ask themselves; are you fearful others will only see you for things you’ve done, not what Jesus has done in you?

Here’s my interview with Jamie Ivey.

 

Resources

Book: If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free

Social Media Links